1905 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



469 



it was expected that the colonies would 

 store sufficient for winter from late fall 

 flowers. These failed to yield on account of 

 the dry fall, and the bees were left short of 

 stores. The bee-keeper, not examining his 

 bees, was unaware of the fact, and the 

 result was a lot of dead colonies in the 

 spring. Some lost as many as half of their 

 bees. A little more attention and care, and 

 a little feeding would have meant money in 

 the bee-keeper's pocket. It does not pay to 

 take honey too closely in the fall, and to 

 trust too much in a late fall flow for winter 

 stores. My advice has always been against 

 such practice. 



In some localities the bees had enough 

 stores to carry them through an average 

 winter. The past one was a very severe 

 winter, however, and it lasted so long that 

 the stores were soon consumed. To this 

 might be added the lateness of the spring, 

 which prevented the bees from getting new 

 stores. 



My own loss was 6 out of 250 colonies, 

 and those were either weak or queenless 

 colonies the fall before, except one which 

 had a bad case of paralysis. Nearly all of 

 the others came through with a surplus of 

 10 to 30 pounds of stores, and all of them 

 strong and in fine condition. A good deal 

 of this honey was left on the hives in shal- 

 low extracting-supers. 



BRICK HONEY IN THE SOUTH. 



My opinion is that the brick-honey indus- 

 try can be developed here in the South quite 

 profitably, although it did not seem so at 

 first. Well-ripened honey granulates solid 

 during our winters, and some of our honeys 

 granulate soon after being taken off the 

 hives early in the season. With the assist- 

 ance of cold storage or a refrigerator, no 

 doubt the candying could be hastened, and 

 result in a more solid cake for cutting into 

 bricks. Once put up in the smaller pack- 

 ages it would stand up longer, and there 

 would be little danger during the cooler 

 months. When warm weather sets in, the 

 bricks might be placed in cold storage as are 

 other things. If this can be done there is 

 no reason why such goods must be sold out 

 before warm weather comes. Neither will 

 the bee-keeper be compelled to take any 

 unsold brick honey off the dealers' hands at 

 that time. This would apply to the North 

 the same as to the South. 



It would be well worth trying some ex- 

 periments along this line. If the bricks can 

 be kept in a cool place and taken out as 

 needed when sold to the customer, such 

 honey could be kept on the market the year 

 round. 



A cake which I have here now has with- 

 stood as high a temperature as 95° during 

 the day, without being affected. Of course, 

 the nights were quite cool. This would go 

 to show that a very low temperature is not 

 necessary in the cold storage. If the honey 

 will remain firm in a cool room the problem 

 will be solved. The room must be cool and 



dry. None of the honey need be kept on 

 display in a warm store where it might 

 melt down, daub shelves and counters, and 

 attract flies. Large printed placards would 

 remind the consumer that a stock of the 

 honey is kept on hand. 



THE TEXAS FOUL-BROOD LAW. 



Almost every State where bee-keeping is 

 carried on to any extent is interested in 

 foul-brood legislation, either for the eradi- 

 cation of the disease or to prevent the intro- 

 duction of it into the State. Here in Texas 

 only a few localities have been troubled 

 with this disease; and where the bee-keep- 

 ers have taken hold of the matter the dis- 

 ease has been stamped out. This interest 

 on the part of the bee-keepers does not 

 always prevail, however, and nothing but 

 the most stringent measures will bring 

 about any results in eradicating foul brood 

 when it has taken a foothold. For this rea- 

 son a foul-brood law is needed. 



We have such a law here; and as many of 

 the Texas readers of Gleanings have asked 

 me in regard to it I will give it place here. 

 I would urge all of our bee-keepers of Texas 

 to give it a careful study. 



TEXAS FOUL-BROOD LAW. 



HOUSE BILL NO. 293. 



AN ACT to provide for the protection of honey-bees 

 against foul brood and other contagious diseases, and 

 providing that all bee-keepers report to the State 

 Entomologist when infectious diseases exist; provid- 

 ing for collecting the expense of eradicating the dis- 

 ease, and fixing the charges upon the owner of the 

 bees; providing for the extermination of all conta- 

 gious diseases: and providing penalties for the viola- 

 tion of this Act. 



Sec. \. — Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State 

 of Texas, if any owner of or any person having control 

 or possession of any honey-bees in this State, knows 

 that any bees so owned or controlled are affected with 

 foul brood or any other contagious disease, it shall be 

 and hereby is made his duty to report at once said fact 

 to the State Entomologist, setting out in his repoit all 

 the facts known with reference to said infection. The 

 State Entomologist shall have full power in his discre- 

 tion to order any owner or possessor of bees dwelling in 

 hives without movable frames, or not permitting of 

 ready examination, to transfer such bees to a movable- 

 frame hive within a specified time. In default of such 

 transfer the State Entomologist may destroy, or order 

 destroyed, such hives, together with the honey, combs, 

 frames, and bees contained therein without recompense 

 to the owner, lessee, or agent thereof. 



Sec. 2.— The State Entomologist shall prescribe such 

 rules as may in his judgment seem necessary for the 

 eradication of all contagious diseases of bees; and if at 

 any time the Entomologist finds, or has reason to 

 believe, that the owner or keeper of any bees, or the 

 owner of any apiary, has refused, or is refusing to com- 

 ply with all or part of any such regulations, then and 

 in that event the State Entomologist is hereby author- 

 ized to inspect said bees, and, if necessary, burn dis- 

 eased colonies, appliances, and honey, and do any and 

 all things necessary in the premises to eradicate foul 

 brood or any other infectious disease of bees. 



Sec. 3.— When any owner or possessor of bees shall 

 fail to carry out the instructions of the State Entomol- 

 ogist, as set forth in liections 1 and 2 of this Act, the 

 State Entomologist shall carry out such destruction or 

 treatment, and shall present to the owner of said bees a 

 bill for the actual cost of such destruction or treatment. 

 In the failure of the owner or possessor of such bees to 

 pay said bill within thirty days after the delivery of 

 the same to himself, tenant, or agent, or within thirty 

 days after mailing the same to his usual postoffioe 

 address, the State Entomologist shall certify to the 

 County Attorney of the county wherein such bees are 

 located, the amount and items of said bill, and the 

 County Attorney shall file suit for the recovery of said 



